I wrote a splashy action movie called LIBERTY ISLAND. Last year I entered it into a writing competition mostly because the contest was free and the movie producer behind it has some cachet. Recently a list of the top 25 finalists was revealed, and my script made the cut.

The ultimate winner will be chosen at the end of this month.

LIBERTY ISLAND (118 pages)

After domestic terrorists seize control of Liberty Island during July 4th celebrations and threaten to blow up the Statue of Liberty, a lone New York City cop trapped on the island must save his hostage-held family and foil a presidential assassination.

Yes, it’s like DIE HARD. But with higher stakes. And a cooler setting. And a better villain.

See the whole roster of finalists here. There are several screenplays on that list I’d like to read myself. Congrats to all the other writers involved, plus my sincere thanks to the folks at Scriptshadow and Grey Matter who vetted the manuscripts.

A writer friend, Tom Piccirilli, passed away this morning after a valiant battle with brain cancer. If you don’t know his work, buy a couple of his books. Take your pick; they’re all equally good.

After I heard the news, I re-read some of his poetry. I came across one poem in particular, from This Cape is Red Because I’ve Been Bleeding, that struck a cord on this of all days. I thought I’d share it with you, because it’s short and in Tom’s own words.

Read this article about the endless slate of horror movie sequels Hollywood pumps out. The horror and action genres have always been more franchise-oriented than other genres; today it seems excessive that even successful comedies and dramas need to be spun out into trilogies.

And Mental Floss catalogs some of Stephen King’s unpublished work — mostly why it remains unpublished, and the reasons Steve doesn’t want it to see the light of day. A couple of these I hadn’t heard of before, while others have acquired almost mythic status over the decades (Last Dangerous Visions, anyone?).

Read this great article about film marketing that appeared a few years back in The New Yorker. Writing and filmmaking I understand; the selling of a project, however, remains foreign to me. This shed a lot of light on a process that seems at times part luck and part alchemy.

And check out this epic prop auction held tomorrow in Los Angeles. Movie memorabilia from special effects guru Rick Baker’s entire career. You want to bid on Hellboy’s Right Hand of Doom? Go for it. How about a twelve-foot-tall animatronic alien from Men in Black? If you’ve got an extra forty grand to blow, this too can be yours. Or what if you prefer taking home a full-size Eddie Murphy fat suit from The Nutty Professor? Whatever, I don’t judge.

Take time to peruse the entire auction catalog. It spans Baker’s whole career, from An American Werewolf in London to Gremlins and Planet of the Apes. No doubt Hollywood collectors have waited decades for a treasure trove like this to go on sale to the public.

Stephen Graham Jones – After the People Lights Have Gone Off
John R. Little – Little by Little
Helen Marshall – Gifts for the One Who Comes After
Lucy A. Snyder – Soft Apocalypses
John F.D. Taff – The End in All Beginnings

Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction

Jason V Brock – Disorders of Magnitude
S.T. Joshi – Lovecraft and a World in Transition
Leslie S. Klinger – The New Annotated H.P. Lovecraft
Joe Mynhardt and Emma Audsley – Horror 101: The Way Forward
Lucy A. Snyder – Shooting Yourself in the Head For Fun and Profit: A Writer’s Survival Guide